LGBTQ+ celebrities and activists honoured among TIME’s 2024 Most Influential People

As 2024 moves forward, TIME published its list of the 100 Most Influential People of the Year, putting the spotlight on amazing LGBTQ+ people changing our world. These queer activists, actors, designers, and even chefs have seen their achievements and work being honoured by the magazine.

You may already know some of these members of the LGBTQ+ community. They are fighting for what they believe in, making history and changing social perspectives step by step.

Jonathan Anderson
First up is the Northern Irish fashion designer Jonathan Anderson. He founded JW Anderson in 2008, a UK fashion label whose success led him to work with some of the most influential brands. Anderson has been working with director Luca Guadagnino as a costume designer for the 2024 movie Challengers and his upcoming film Queer. He also notably designed Rihanna’s 2022 Super Bowl red outfit and is the current creative director of the luxury house LOEWE.

Dominique Crenn
French chef Dominique Crenn was the first woman in the US to receive three Michelin Stars in 2019 for her restaurant Atelier Crenn, in San Francisco. The LGBTQ+ cook was honoured this year by TIME for her cooking philosophy. Considering herself a “poetic culinarian”, Crenn is a pioneer in climate-friendly farming and restoration. She regeneratively grows her food for her restaurants on her farm in the US, considerably reducing her carbon emissions. Crenn’s work was acclaimed worldwide as she brought attention to industrial farming, also by stopping serving meat in her restaurants.

Ophelia Dahl
British-American activist Ophelia Dahl has been a trailblazer in the fight for better healthcare, helping reduce injustice to access high-quality treatments. In 1987, she co-founded Partners in Health, a Boston-based non-profit healthcare organisation. Dahl’s inspiring work has helped millions of people around the world to get proper treatments and access to healthcare, as well as reducing maternal mortality and improving the treatment of tuberculosis. Daughter of notable author Roald Dahl, she is currently working on a memoir on her father’s life and work.

Colman Domingo
TIME has also honoured the amazing American LGBTQ+ actor Colman Domingo. In 2024, for his performance in Rustin, he became the second openly gay man to be nominated for an Oscar. In the biopic, Domingo plays the lead role of gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. The Euphoria actor has given numerous outstanding performances on stage and screen.

Rosanna Flamer-Caldera
Sri Lankan LGBTQ+ activist Rosanna Flamer-Caldera was awarded numerous times for two decades of outstanding work. The former female Asian representative of ILGA (now the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) founded the Equal Group in 2004, now one of the leading organisations in the country advocating for queer rights in Sri Lanka. In 2022, the Equal Group brought the case of the ban on same-sex intimacy between women to the UN. This led to a victory last year, as the national Parliament has been scrapping a law decriminalising homosexuality. Equal Group is currently working on ensuring the legislation passes. Rosanna Flamer-Caldera helped bring LGBTQ+ rights to the core of Sri Lankan politics.

Frank Mugisha
Head of Sexual Minorites Uganda, the activist Frank Mugisha was honoured by TIME as he spent his entire life fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in the country. He founded many organisations, notably Icebreakers Uganda, accompanying young people in their coming out to their families. When the Parliament passed a destructive anti-gay bill last year in 2023, Mugisha along with other activists, directly brought it to court. Even when facing life-threatening risks, the activist never backed down on his fight. His courage and achievements were rewarded by the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, and by a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.

Elliot Page
Canadian actor Elliot Page has made this year’s 100 Most Influential People. TIME honoured him as an LGBTQ+ activist and as a queer Hollywood icon. Most known for his role in Umbrella Academy, Page is an inspiring voice for the trans community. He just released his memoir Pageboy narrating his journey as a trans actor and activist. As Canada is witnessing a rise in anti-trans legislation, Page has taken a stance in support of the LGBTQ+ community and against the current attacks against trans individuals at the recent Juno Awards and in an open letter.

Kelley Robinson
President of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ+ political lobby in the US, Kelley Robinson was honoured by TME as one of the most influential voices in the community. In 2022 she became the first queer black woman to lead the organisation. Through her leadership, she is uplifting marginalised voices, such as queer people of colour and trans folks. Robinson’s political objectives focus on intersectionality, gun reform, racial justice, immigration, voting rights, climate, and abortion. As a young activist, she is a fresh and inspiring voice for the community.

Katsuhiko Hayashi
Finally, an honourable mention goes to Japanese Professor Katsuhiko Hayashi. While not being a member of the LGBTQ+ community, he is changing the future of queer people. As a researcher at Osaka University, Hayashi is working on new techniques in reproductive biology to offer in the distant future the possibility for same-sex couples and those concerned with infertility to have biological children.

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